Description

Mears Peak is located to the northwest of Telluride. It is remote and seldom climbed. The easiest line of ascent would appear to be the southeast 'face'; a scramble through towers on scree from the end of the Iron Mountain Trail, an offshoot of Whipple Mountain Trail which is accessed from Last Dollar Road above the Telluride Airport.

Mears has a rather distinctive summit when viewed from the north from Dallas Divide on HI62. The view from the south is blocked by Iron Mountain and Campbell Peak from the south until you are sufficiently high enough on the Telluride Ski Area. The summit is a rounded, symmetrical M-shape, the east summit being the high point.

Like all of the peaks in the area, Mears is loose. Use caution. The rock on the west side is dark gray and blocky. The rock on the east side is red, shale-like scree and quite loose. The ridgeline east of the summit has several vertical steps that require careful fourth class circumnavigationto their south or low grade but very loose fifth class climbing. The ridge west is third class.

Getting There

Mears can be reached from Telluride to the south; a scramble from Ruffner Mountain (13,003') to the west; a long, loose and exposed fifth class scramble from Peak 13,441 from the east; or an unprotected technical scramble of the North Ridge from the Box Factory Park Trailhead off of West Dallas Creek Road from HI62.

Ascend an awful, steep, scree-talus slope to gain the upper basin below Mears' north face. Aim for the obvious break in the large cliff line to the west, and climb steep snow up past it. Once above the cliff line, traverse up and right into a steepening and narrowing couloir system, some low angle ice may begin here. The couloir will bend hard left and become very inset into the face. Several near vertical WI3/M3 steps mark the cruxes of this couloir, and do not be enticed in...[more]Browse More Classics in Colorado